It's funny to think that at the ripe age of 1, Griffin has a best friend. Griffin and Johnny first met when they were 8 and 6 weeks old respectively. Megan and I both happened to tote our little bundled bundles to an infant playgroup at Crunchy Granola Baby one fateful Friday morning in early March 2010. Megan found the below picture on a random website- It was taken the day we met; you can see us sitting next to each other in the corner.
Today, the Gonzales Family moved from their 3rd floor Kings Beach Rd apartment down to Haverford, a suburb of Philadelphia- home of my favorite airport pretzel. The whole day, or really the whole last month in anticipation of today, has been really emotional and sad, though I've handled it surprisingly well (denial perhaps?). Tom joked that we were couple dating Megan and Ryan- that we had brought them up to Maine to meet his parents... aw, it's so sad to see them go.
I know that, albeit short, the time Megan, Johnny, Griff, and I spent together allowed us to build lifelong friendships. It's like when people go through a war together, they build a deep bond because they shared a tough experience and triumphed (hopefully). I think that Mom-friends are just like that, not that motherhood is comparable to war, though some may think so (heck, my labor room looked like a bloody war zone.. sorry, TMI). Its just that we've been through the craziest year of our lives together, and we've supported and leaned on each other all the way through, and it's been a blast. Megan and I also happen to get along perfectly as we are very alike. She's like the sister I never had. We share an almost identical parenting style (I'd trust her in a heartbeat with Griffin), and ironically a similar fashion style as well (Griff and Johnny wore many of the same onsies, and last month, Megan and I literally wore the exact same outfit to the Children's Museum- jeans and a black scoop neck sweater). I know we'll be attending each other's son's weddings in 25 years.
Today made me realize how lucky we are that our boys are still so young that they don't even know to be sad. Ignorance is definitely bliss in this case, and as a parent, I know there are going to be times when Griffin is sad or disappointed by something, and it will be my job to help him through whatever it is. I welcome those challenges but I definitely don't look forward to them. It's hard for me to think about, as I just want to protect him from everything bad/sad in the world.
Despite the sad goodbye, or rather, the "see you later", we were so fortunate to have shared such an awesome first year as Moms together. We love you Megan, Ryan, and Johnny!!! Here are a few pictures of Johnny & Griffin playing together on moving day:
Thank you for writing such a perfect summary of the past year, my thoughts exactly. I miss you so much and can't wait until the Hendrix Family comes to visit Philly! -megan, ryan and johnny
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